1. Henri Young - Murder In The First
Kevin Bacon has said that Henri Young is one of the performances hes most proud of in this career, and its easy to see why. Young is an abused prisoner who is put on trial after he viciously stabs another inmate to death, but his lawyer tries to get him off by arguing the harsh conditions of the prison caused him to lose his mind. The film is based on a true story, leading to Bacon heavily investing himself in the role. He lost a lot of weight to play the character, as well as getting locked up in Youngs old prison cell to get into the right mindset. The part is one of his most touching performances, with Young obviously badly traumatised by his experiences yet reluctant to give up his dignity. Everything from his body language down to his speech mannerisms shows his commitment to the movie, to the point where he's nearly unrecognisable. Murder In The First ultimately didnt do great business, which is a real pity; in another universe this could have been the role that landed him his first Oscar nomination.